Exploiting Hollywood 1980

In early March, the American Directors Guild Awards presented this year's awards at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel in Hollywood, the venue for the Golden Globe Awards.

This year, it was changed to a more upscale awards venue, and there was also a formal awards banquet. This is the result of the director's union's improved financial situation under the newly signed collective bargaining agreement. Unlike the Screenwriters Guild, negotiations between the Producers Guild and the Directors Guild are very smooth, and the Directors Guild, which has fewer members, can also get more operating expenses.

In particular, top members like Ronald pay a huge share of their share. Directors of advertisements, documentaries, or TV series who are new to the industry can also have some welfare training courses and opportunities created by the Directors Guild to give them a try.

In short, the Directors Guild is the most united and the best treated among the several unions formed by creators.

At this awards show, everyone was dressed up, but there was no TV station to broadcast it. Everyone regards him as an affirmation of his peers and an annual gathering of directors. Director is a very rare job where there is only one person in a film crew, and they usually don’t have many opportunities to communicate with each other.

Ronald, wearing a tuxedo and tie, was also sitting in the audience, drinking champagne. The new Directors Guild President Arthur Miller deliberately made the Directors Guild Awards closer to the style of the Golden Globe Awards in the past when there was no television broadcast.

Everyone, regardless of distance, gathered around the round table, drank champagne, ate delicious food, chatted with each other and made new friends.

Before television broadcasts ruined the atmosphere, the Golden Globes used to be a carnival for practitioners themselves. Sincere blessings were given to the winners, and even in private occasions, the acceptance speeches were full of informal humor.

Joan Crawford, once the richest female star in Hollywood, once won the Best Actress award. After taking the stage, she felt that the Golden Globe trophy was too small and not as important as her Oscar. She also made a vulgar joke: " Let me show you my pair of golden balls..."

Ronald likes this return to traditional awards ceremonies and is one who hopes to learn from other well-known directors. It’s just that I don’t usually have the chance. He took the opportunity to change tables and chat with many famous old directors about past techniques and anecdotes. At the same time, many new directors came to make friends with him.

"I propose that we first pray for our former union president, Mr. Franklin Schaffner, and hope that he will recover as soon as possible."

The awards night began with a prayer for the old chairman who presided over the labor negotiations. The chairman of the Directors Guild, who had done a lot of practical things, was unfortunately diagnosed with severe lung disease at the beginning of the year and was already terminally ill.

After praying, various awards began to be awarded to some directors of commercials, TV series, TV movies, etc.

Ronald watched the awards with ease, the Directors Guild's two most important awards, for best director of a film and television series (drama) from the previous year. Anyone who wins this award has a high probability of winning the Oscar for Best Director and the Emmy Award for Best Director. It has always been considered by insiders to be the vane of the Oscars.

"Winning Best Director for a Television Series: Marshall Herskovitz, Thirtysomething." "

Everyone in the audience applauded and congratulated. This ABC drama truly deserves the award. Tell. A group of baby boomers in the United States, thirty-somethings living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. How they dealt with the lifestyle changes that dominated American culture in the 1980s.

In the early 1970s, this group of people participated in counterculture and anti-war activities as young people. By the 1980s, they were close to the Donkey Party and their progressive worldview was greatly challenged.

NBC's evergreen drama "Family Ties" became popular because of a character who was unexpectedly close to the Elephant Party's worldview. Alex, played by Michael J. Fox, became an idol among young people.

ABC, controlled by the Donkey Party, launched two TV series to counter this trend. "Growing Pains" relies on new donkey-party enlightened parents to deal with the effects of "family ties" on young people. The other one is "Thirty", which seeks a self-consistent world view for middle-aged hippies.

The series was so successful that there was a regular usage of Thirtysomething in English. This extended to the forties and fifties, and this method of word formation was also adopted.

"I want to thank my colleagues at ABC, as well as Edward Zwick, the producer who came up with this idea with me."

Marshall Herskovitz gave an acceptance speech on the stage. He was not very open-minded and still used a more formal way of thanking him.

The person who presented the award to him was the new chairman, breaking the principle that the winner of the previous term would present the award to the subsequent term. Because Marshall Herskovitz also won Best Director for a TV Series last year.

"The Best Film Director Award goes to..." Several more minor awards passed, and this time it was Oliver Stone who took the stage to present the award. Last year's Directors Guild Award for Best Film Director was awarded to Italian director Bertolucci, who was unable to come to present the award. Therefore, the union asked Oliver Stone, who won the award for "Platoon" the year before, to announce the winner.

"Oh, he's so young that I'm jealous...the winner is Ronald Lee, Working Girl..."

Ronald, who was already thirsty in the audience, rushed to the stage in three steps and took the award certificate from Oliver Stone. Then pose for the photographer to take a photo.

"In 1986, Tom Cruise chose me for Top Gun, and another candidate for the starring role, I won't say his name, chose Oliver's Platoon." Ronald felt happy. , making a joke about Oliver Stone.

"That actor got an Oscar nomination and Tom Cruise got mobbed by fans..."

"Hahaha..." The directors present all understood what Ronald meant. If you make his movie, you may not win an award, but you will definitely have more fans and your salary will increase.

"Last year, Michael (Douglas) also decided not to make my movie and play the role of the greedy banker Gekko in 'Wall Street'. Everyone knows that Oliver made him the best actor..."

Ronald pulled Oliver Stone and gave a speech on the stage. This kind of praise for Stone and self-deprecating words can be said on such an occasion where there is no television broadcast to make everyone happy.

"So, this year, Tom and I both learned our lesson. Tom played the lead role in Oliver, and I also directed a movie about a Wall Street banker..."

The directors laughed wildly below. It was obvious that Ronald was making fun of himself and Tom Cruise for not having won an Oscar yet. I hope you will have good luck learning the methods of Oliver Stone this time.

In short, Ronald's acceptance speech is in line with the old-school style of Hollywood. There was no television broadcast, so everyone came to hear some sincere, outrageous and humorous speeches.

Several old directors made a special trip to thank Ronald for allowing them to relive the way Hollywood awards shows should have been in the past.

Ronald also thanked them for their affirmation and politely canvassed for votes. These people are all voting members of the Academy.

Marshall Herskovitz also found Ronald, and the two went to the photo area together and took several photos for use in news reports.

"What is it like to make a TV series? Do you think I can direct a TV series?"

Ronald remembered someone telling him that he hoped he could adapt "Working Girl" into a TV series. It’s a good time to learn from the two-time Directors Guild Award winner for Best Director in a Drama Series.

"TV dramas are actually easier to film. Let me tell you, sometimes, if you can't think of a plot, you just need to change a character and continue with him as the main perspective. When you can't continue with any of them, just jump back. .”

Marshall Herskovitz liked Ronald very much, and he didn't have the condescending and domineering attitude usually associated with movie directors.

"Do you think I can direct a movie?" He happened to ask Ronald. Although he is one of the producers of "Thirty", he can enjoy financial success, but after a person achieves success, he will inevitably want to challenge the movie.

"Actually, I think film directing is not that difficult. We can shoot a scene many times. As long as you are not satisfied, you can keep shooting. You can shoot twenty or thirty takes, unlike TV dramas that require one shot."

"Hmm...that's interesting..."

After the two chatted and walked back, Ronald happened to see Barry Levinson, the director of "Rain Man".

"Congratulations, Ronald..."

"Barry..." Ronald stepped forward to hug him and say hello. Although the two were competitors, they had a good relationship. When Dustin Hoffman was playing big, it was Ronald who came up with the idea to get him.

"It seems that you have great hopes for this Oscar... you have been nominated twice..." Barry Levinson was also quite convinced of Ronald. Generally speaking, the winner of the Directors Guild Award has more than 80% chance of winning the Oscar for Best Director.

The last time the director won the Directors Guild Award and ultimately lost the Oscar was Spielberg for "The Color Purple."

Because he publicly stated that he did not want his children to grow up in a Jewish environment, he was embarrassed by Jewish conservative forces and was not even nominated for best director. If he can be nominated, there is a high probability that the Oscar will also be his.

The last time he won the Directors Guild Award but not the Oscar for Best Director was in 1973. Francis Coppola won the Directors Guild Award that year, but the Oscar went to Bob Fosse, the director of the musical film "Capote."

This is also the reason why the Oscars do not approve of Coppola's new gangster movie style, and also because they have to take care of the declining musicals. Bob Fother should have won the award earlier.

But it was hard for Coppola to convince the public if he didn't win the Oscar for Best Director, so the sequel to The Godfather two years later also won Coppola a statuette.

"Who can say it accurately about the Oscar? Let's wish each other good luck." Ronald couldn't show his determination to win in front of his competitors. The two happily wished each other the award, looking very gentlemanly. look like.

…

"Am I very likely to win this time?" Ronald came back from the awards night and met Richard who came to report. He spoke more directly.

"According to probability, in a decade, the indicator light of the Directors Guild will fail once or twice, so yes, you have a high possibility of winning..." Richard got it from him and Niceta, through private relationship, and obtained voting propensity assessment reports.

"The largest voting group is actors. The private voting tendency assessment we obtained shows that you have a lot of praise among actresses. They will lean towards you.

However, we cannot find out the attitudes of many Jewish broker clients... Our ethnic group has the virtue of keeping secrets when ordered by the boss. "

What Richard meant was that many Jews followed Ovitz's orders and remained tight-lipped about voting. Within CAA, only the possible voting status of customers is reported to him.

And he, Richard, knew very well that his boss was Ronald. Several of his clients were brought to him by Ronald as a director. Therefore, the object of his conservative virtue has nothing to do with Ovitz.

Ronald understood what he meant. It can be said that the accuracy of this kind of prior information gathering is not necessarily very high. Some actors do not tell their real voting preferences to their agents.

Anyway, he won the Directors Guild Award, which shows that the director community is already his biggest supporter.

"Are our other awards possible?" Ronald asked. He wanted to know, what are the prospects for winning Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress?

"There are advantages and disadvantages," Richard said, pulling out another document.

"This movie is considered by many to be a romantic comedy rather than a workplace drama. Comedies are not very popular with Oscars..."

Ronald nodded in understanding. The actors with the most voting rights are actually not very smart people with a deep understanding of acting.

They play the game more in an intuitive way, which is why a scum like Lee Strasberg, who is just trying to gain fame and is so morally corrupt that he embezzled Monroe's inheritance, can enjoy the reputation of an acting mentor - because Many actors really don't know much about acting.

Like many ordinary viewers, they also believe that Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man is the protagonist with better acting skills.

In this way, Glenn Gross, who was nominated for the leading actress this time for the role of The Bad Woman in "Dangerous Liaisons", plays Meryl Streep, who is suspected of killing her biological daughter, and even went to Africa to study gorillas. Sigourney Weaver seems to have good acting skills.

"What about the advantages?" Ronald remembered that the other party said there were still advantages.

"I've noticed that a lot of actors don't seem to have seen Working Girl yet..." Richard replied.

Why is this an advantage? Because many people who have the right to vote have not seen the movie, and they vote more based on the reviews. Anyway, I haven’t watched either one, so I’m just listening to other people’s opinions on which one is better...

This is the common mentality of many actors.

Therefore, although genre films are not palatable, the real people from all over the world who transform secretaries into strong women are making a strong case for "working girls". If the two supporting actress nominees have little chance of being nominated, Melanie Griffiths still has hope because of her likability in her role.

Please remember the first domain name of this book: . :